Name: Heroin

Street Names: Georgia Smack, Hayron, Black Tar, Mud, H and Junk

Description: Heroin, processed from morphine, is an extraction from the poppy seed which grows in Asia, Mexico and Columbia. Heroin is usually seen as a brown or white powder. Pure heroin is white; a brown color signifies the presence of impurities or additives. Heroin was used extensively as a pain medication in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, until physicians became aware of its potential for addiction. Heroin is processed in remote laboratories. Heroin is then pressed into bricks for bulk shipment into countries such as the United States. Smaller quantities of heroin are smuggled in using latex balloons that people swallow before boarding airlines. 

Black Tar is another form of heroin, derived from the seed pod of the poppy plant. It is a highly concentrated form of heroin and is usually diluted and injected. Black Tar has a dark brown to black coloration.

Use: Years ago, the thought of using a needle kept many potential heroin users at bay. Today, however, many users just snort the powder, which is just as dangerous.

Effects: Heroin users, high or craving a fix, often use poor judgement, sharing needles thus increasing the risk of HIV or Hepatitis exposure. Heroin use can cause such irreversible effects as vein collapse, fatal overdose and spontaneous abortion. Long term-effects include abscesses, infection of the heart lining and valves, liver disease and cellulitis. Pneumonia may also arise as well as an overall poor health condition due to the depressing effects on respiration. Heroin typically contains additives or impurites which do not fully dissolve and can clog blood vessels that lead to the brain, liver, lungs or kidneys, causing infection and partial organ loss.

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